Brian Thacker confesses all as he reveals the best (and worst) of 20 trips as a tour leader around Europe. He tells how he fed passengers horse meat spag bol, hamburgers made from breakfast cereal and roosters' testicles; how he left a passenger standing by the side of a motorway in France for 3 hours in his underwear clutching a purple toothbrush and how, along the way, he lost his driver, his cook, his bus, ten brightly coloured canal bikes, a large church and eventually his patience.
Rule No. 5
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"Hilarious observations about European travel" -- Travel & Leisure
"Takes readers along for a jolly ride" -- USA Today
"Takes readers along for a jolly ride" -- USA Today
About the Author
Brian Thacker has vast writing experience: he has written more than 1,000 postcards in his travels. He has worked as a tour leader, ski guide, advertising art director, silver service waiter, painter, barman, paper shredder, newspaper delivery boy, and butcher's assistant.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The subtitle of this book says it all: Confessions of a tour leader. Brian is an Ozzie who made a living in Europe for a while doing tours through the old continent. Mostly young Ozzies, but also North Americans and Japanese were dragged through 11 countries within 4 weeks by him. He dedicates a chapter to every main country. Which means Liechtenstein and Monaco miss out, as does Belgium, where they only go through on their way to Amsterdam. It is a very amusing book with loads of funny anecdotes about these tours. The funny things you see on the road (stripshows in Amsterdam), the pranks you pull on the guests (hold your passport flat against the window, your face next to it, the camera's will register everything, they will only stop is if something is wrong), the stupid questions you get (if I call home now, will my mom be there?) and the things drivers get up to (coach captain Kevin Kelvin was fairly active apparently). Funny stories with plenty of stereotypes thrown in. Ozzies all like to get pissed all the time, the Dutch are all half stoned most of the time, and the Germans speak English with a funny accent. Every one in Switzerland makes loads of money for doing nothing, the Italians are inventive in the way they con you, the French never take showers and more prejudice in the same category.
Sounds fairly standard, but all in all it is a good book. Especially those of you who have worked with tourists (like I have myself) will recognise a lot. Anybody in customer care basically will enjoy this book. All travel addicts as well. I've already copied a few pages to use in my classes at school; the chapter on Amsterdam gives my students a brilliant view of how people abroad see our capitol. Recommendable book. If you can get hold of it, as I haven't seen it anywhere but in Oz yet.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Like any tour guide, Australian Brian Thacker has many stories to tell, mostly outrageous. Anyone who has travelled on an 18-35 guided tour will have a fair idea of what to expect, i.e. large amounts of drinking and plenty of nocturnal activity with some cultural thoughts thrown in. The book explores the varied perils and pleasures of being a tour guide, travelling by coach or double-decker bus from campsite to campsite, with much fun made of the young travellers, mostly fellow Antipodeans. It follows a specific tourist route around Western Europe including stops in Amsterdam, St.Goar, Lauterbrunnen, Munich, Salzburg, Venice, Florence, Rome, Cannes, Barcelona, Avignon and Paris. There are brief guides to the sights and inhabitants of each area with some tips about where to go, but the best bits are the incredible stories about the funny, shocking and revealing things that happen on holiday. There are no pictures but the descriptions are vivid enough, and if some tales seem crude then it simply reflects the uninhibited nature of many of the tours. Having been on one of Brian's tours, I recognise some stories and can vouch for their accuracy, (but deny any personal involvement). Like any holiday, there is fun to be had and you may learn something new, although your idea of a good time may differ from others.
By Mike Swann
Format:Paperback
It opened very very well with many of the jokes, but towards the middle and Litchenstein/Italy/France and Spain it started to fall really flat and I generally put the book down for long periods before finally getting to the end.
It is slightly repetitive in that the same things about beer, food, sex just happen over and over again intermeshed with some other tale or two. With far too many injokes which makes you think eh?
It is slightly repetitive in that the same things about beer, food, sex just happen over and over again intermeshed with some other tale or two. With far too many injokes which makes you think eh?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 21 reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
The comedy in this is observational but shockingly funny at points even after the first initial pages there are some really taboo subjects but dealt with in a humorous way like the... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2010 by B Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book delivers, right on the topic.
Brian actually manages to live up to the promises this book makes. It is fun to read, insightful, very sarcastic, and produces many a laugh-out-loud experience. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2001
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
